Whistleblower deserves P50-M bounty – PNP chief

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A MAN who confessed he backed out of a plot to assassinate AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe last August and supplied police with information that led to the arrest of six participants in the December 22 killing of the lawmaker and his policeman-bodyguard is the rightful recipient of the P50 million bounty offered for the solution of the case, Philippine National Police chief Director General OscarAlbayalde yesterday said.

Albayalde said that principal witness Emmanuel Judavar should be the recipient of the multi-million peso bounty for any information that would lead to the identification of the killers of Batocabe and SPO2 Orlando Diaz of the Police Security and Protection Group.

Now serving as the prime witness, Judavar said they were first asked by Daraga, Albay Mayor Carlwyn Baldo to kill Batocabe after the lawmaker announced his intention to seek the local mayoral post last August.

However, Judavar backed out of the plan and later gave police information that resulted in the solution of the case.

Albayalde believes that Judavar should get the reward money because he was the key to the identification of the suspects.

“The investigation into the Batocabe case progressed because of Judavar, which makes him the rightful recipient of the P50 million bounty,” the PNP chief said.

Authorities are yet to announce who will get the bounty although the decision will depend on the PNP recommendation.

On Monday, police said that 11 caliber 40 shells and five slugs recovered by the police at the area where Batocabe and Diaz were shot dead last December 22 matched those fired from the licensed firearm of Henry Yuson, a former New People’s Army rebel-turned- militiaman who confessed to shooting the lawmaker.

“With the findings of the PNP Crime Laboratory, we are now confident that indeed, Yuson was telling the truth when he said that he shot Rep. Batocabe,” the PNP chief said.

Judavar provided investigators with relevant information regarding the case, from planning to execution stages, the country’s top cop said.